More and more people are traveling without a laptop these days, who otherwise might have been laden with a heavy machine. Some of them are realizing that their email, Web browsing and even basic document needs arebetter met by a smartphone. Some have even taken the plunge to buy a tablet like an iPad, and find that it does the trick just fine. In fact, with its light weight, great casual gaming and top-notch multimedia capabilities, the iPad or a similar tablet might be a better choice than a laptop for many travelers.
I recently traveled without my notebook for the first time in ages. My grandmother passed away, so I was taking the weekend off of work to be with my family. I brought my smartphone only. What else would I need? My parents have an iMac, should any serious typing be required, but without work commitments, what could come up?
Besides the sad purpose of the trip, traveling unencumbered was pleasant, but not liberating. I never felt imprisoned by my laptop, quite the opposite. The laptop makes me feel capable, prepared.
When I travel for business, I do not travel light. I overpack on clothes on purpose, just to be prepared. I bring a laptop, a digital SLR with a couple lenses and a flash, an HD camcorder and a few smartphones. One for me, one for backup, and I’m usually testing one or two for an upcoming review. Do I need all this equipment? Definitely. I need to edit large RAW files in Photoshop. I need to edit video footage. I couldn’t do any of this without my equipment.
I think that the laptop market will be significantly impacted by tablets, but I wouldn’t sound the death knell for the desktop-class operating system just yet. Many pundits are doing just that. Joel Johnson on Gizmodo breathlessly announced that he was selling his laptop because the iPad is so great. Yeah, right, let’s ask him again in a few months how that worked out.
